An evening in Mistral
by Indrick Ballerale
Summary: Late at night, Jaune Arc goes out to train in the forests of Mistral. However, unbeknownst to him, there's a Dragon hunting her favored prey: Noodles, and she will not be denied.


Well, here's my first attempt at writing one of these things. Any feedback and criticism is highly appreciated. Kudos to my boi JJD for helping me and motivating me to get this done.

* * *

Hiding in the thick brush, the predator observed her unaware prey. She had been stalking for what felt like hours, waiting for her prey to be in complete and utter isolation, and now, late at night, she observed her quarry going through what appeared to be some sort of training. She observed as the prey went through progressively more complex motions, until with a flourish he completed his set, before starting again. With each set, his strikes grew clumsier, as her clearly tired prey nevertheless pushed on. The predator saw her quarry take out his scroll, and fiddle with it for a minute before propping it on a rock, facing away from her, just before he started to get up, and return to his gear. She knew this was her chance, and the steely legs of the predator coiled, ready to spring forth. Thus, when she saw him tiredly drop into a stance, she burst forward with a mighty roar of " **JAAAAAAAAUNEEE** ", smashing into her prey's midsection and crashing the noodle into the ground.

Jaune Arc would have liked to think that he didn't know what hit him. Unfortunately for him, the tell-tale cry of his predator let him know exactly _what_ , well, _whom_ had rammed into him. Knowing that, his heart instantly felt like it was made of lead. He had just pressed play, and as he saw the form of the blonde brawler of team RWBY, Yang Xiao-Long standing above him, they both heard a voice that filled him with dread.

" _Alright, Jaune, just like we practiced. Follow these instructions. Shield up."_ During that sentence, Jaune saw a thousand emotions, ranging from confusion to despair to guilt to fear and then to anger, pass through his captor's face. He knew he had to get the scroll back, and stop her from seeing it. He couldn't let _anyone_ see.

In desperation, he rose to his knees, trying to knock his captor off balance, and dashed towards the scroll, but a vice-like grip held him back and turned him around. As he felt himself be dragged towards the scroll, he started to violently struggle, throwing his body forwards to break her grip, falling face first into the ground. From his prone position, he heard the words from his scroll continue, followed by a nearly inaudible gasp. Resigned to the fact that he'd been caught, he looked up and saw that his fellow blonde was holding the scroll, _his_ scroll. He saw her hands, no, her entire body shake, oh man, she was definitely pissed. He looked at her eyes, expecting to see that fiery crimson, yet all he saw was trembling lavender, as the usually stalwart brawler finished watching the last message he had from Pyrrha.

"Jaune? Is this what you've been putting yourself through?" She asked, every syllable trembling, seemingly ready to fall apart. The man in question looked away, unable to keep facing her. "JAUNE!", she cried out, and reached down to pull Jaune up, standing him up and grabbing the front of his hoodie. Her eyes, now a raging scarlet, yet full of tears, pierced into him, even as she held him in place.

"Yang… What are you doing here?" Jaune managed to ask, trying to move his hands, not knowing where to put them. "Why did you follow me here?" He continued, finally letting his arms hang limply at his side.

"I was worried about you." She muttered, unable to keep looking him in the eyes. "We all were...are worried about you." She took a deep breath, regaining some of her composure. "You barely eat, you get up every night, and ever since I got here, all your smiles have been faker than my arm." Her eyes returned to his, still trembling. "So, I'm going to ask only once more. Why are you doing this to yourself?"

"I need to be stronger, Yang. I have to be better." Jaune breathed back, "I can't keep being a burden, not to my team, not to myself." He lowered his gaze, unwilling to match her own. "Not anymore." With those words, Jaune felt Yang's grip on him tighten, as her head buried itself into the crook of his shoulder.

"You dumb, stubborn… _sniff_ … stupid blond" Yang practically cried into him. "You don't have to prove **ANYTHING** to any of us." Her teary, scarlet orbs once more rose to meet his eyes "But what really hurt, is that you didn't come to us, to _me_ for help. Why do you put yourself through this? We all miss her, Jaune, but you're tearing yourself apart." She questioned, hanging onto Jaune.

"It's never been about proving myself, Yang, it's the fact that I am so far behind the rest of you guys that I have to work twice as hard to catch up." Jaune almost collapsed in Yang's arms. "It's the fact that Qrow almost died because I wasn't good enough. It's the fact that Weiss is only alive because of a lucky coincidence, all because I wasn't good enough to hold my ground." Jaune's head hung low, staring directly at the ground. A few seconds later, Jaune felt a fist bury itself in his gut, and immediately collapsed, landing on the ground with a dull thud.

Immediately after, Jaune heard the cracking of knuckles. "Well, vomit-boy, since you _clearly_ are too stubborn to accept that we all care about you, and that we hate to see you like this, I'll have to beat it into you. Sound good?"

After a few tense moments Jaune started to silently chuckle, a bitter laugh that carried with it the realization of what he'd been doing. Seeing him laughing while still on the ground, Yang stiffened, and with more force than she'd intended, cried out, "What's so funny, Jaune?" at which point Jaune started to laugh out loud.

"Only that you're completely right, Yang, I really am a stubborn blond. Guess it takes one to know one." The blond had the gall to say in between chuckles. "So, what do you want to do about this stubborn blond, your Yangness? What divine _pun_ ishment will be delivered upon this poor sinner?" He continued, now wearing a smile, as he rose up to kneel on one leg before Yang, arms open. "Will I be forced into servitude? Will I forever be subject to this dragon's whims? I will gladly bear the judgement you deliver."

Upon hearing this, Yang's composure completely broke, and she joined her fellow blond in laughter, until, with a few short coughs, she stopped laughing and put on a haughty demeanor.

"Well, my new, self-appointed servant, this big, bad dragon has commandments to deliver upon you." Jaune gulped, just now realizing to _whom_ he had spoken his half joking pledge, was already preparing for the consequences.

"And what will those be, Yang?" Jaune asked with wide eyes, to which Yang responded by raising an eyebrow. Jaune let out a resigned sigh, "What would you have your knight do, my lady? I beg, please do not let it drag-on too much." He finished with a roll of his eyes, a resigned smile now a permanent fixture on his face.

Yang's face curled into an even more satisfied smirk, and she started to nod her head. "Your Yangness recognizes your attempts at punnery to exact a more lenient punishment, and thus, I shall have no mercy. Your first task is to meet me in this clearing every night, for in my immense grace, I deign to get your sorry butt up to par."Jaune's eyes widened at this, and his already sore muscles cried out in protest of their future.

Relentlessly, Yang continued "Your second task, young Sir Noodle, is that by my holy decree, thou shalt take it easy outside said sessions." She said with a beatific smile, before kneeling down and once more pulling Jaune into a hug.

"Your third and final task is the hardest of all of them, and thus the most important of them." Yang paused, and fixed her stare on Jaune's own eyes "Remember that we, _I,_ will always be there for you, no matter how bad it gets." She saw him close his eyes and nod his head up and down.

"Very well, your knight doth acknowledges these sacred tasks, yet I have a request of my own." Jaune proudly claimed, holding Yang at arm's length, and staring with deep conviction into her eyes. "That third task will go both ways. Just as you want to be there for me, I will also be there for you, whenever you need me. Deal?" As if by magic, as soon as he said those words, Yang's face settled into a small smile, even as a dusting of pink found its way onto her cheeks.

"Alright, Lady-killer, you have a deal." She took a deep breath, and her smile turned into one of _those_ smiles, those that promised absolute pain to any man on their receiving end. "However, there's gonna be one, teensy weensy condition." Jaune, having grown up with 7 sisters, was all too accustomed to this smile, and thus his brain instantly went on high alert.

His caution was rewarded when the next few words he heard were, "training starts now." He was already halfway to his dropped gear by the time she finished the sentence, and he was as ready as he could be by the time she had lazily stood up. Taking up an easy stance, Yang winked at Jaune, and with an apologetic "Sorry, Lady-Killer, but I'm a fan of tough love." She rushed at the unsteady knight.

* * *

From the ground, a battered Jaune Arc looked up at the admittedly beautiful sight of Yang Xiao Long "I guess you got me this time, like all the other times." Jaune sighed. His vanquisher didn't even have the decency to look ashamed. Instead, she had the absolute _gall_ to look even more pleased with herself.

"Yes, I did, Lady-killer. Gotta say, though, those few hits _really_ hurt, have you been working out?" She responded, wearing a smile that lit up her violet orbs, even as her eyebrows wiggled.

"Well, I've been keeping up on my training, and trekking through Anima is not exactly a vacation. So, is her Yangness content with all she has delivered upon her knight? Or does she wish for more?" Jaune questioned, a tiny smile daring to form on his face.

"Why, Sir Noodle! Are you doubting my intentions?" Yang gasped in faux shock, placing a hand upon her chest. "I was merely complimenting your progress." She said, as if that explained everything.

"Really now?" Jaune asked, propping himself up on his elbows. "And what kind of progress is that, if I may ask?" He'd raised an eyebrow, looking curiously at the woman above him.

"Well, it is quite simple, Lady-killer." Her grin turned predatory. "I was just observing exactly how much of a hunk you've become." With those words, Yang knelt, straddling the now trapped knight. Jaune's eyes widened, and his mouth went wide open.

"W-w-what?" He sputtered out, trying in vain to crawl out from underneath Yang. "Y-yang, don't play with me like this." His already heavy blush deepened, and his eyes darted around, looking everywhere except at his captor.

"Who said anything about playing, Jaune?" She whispered, leaning forward to speak into his ear. "I'm dead serious." She stated with a hungry smile, cupping Jaune's face in her hands, to ensure he was looking directly at her. "And I'm going to make sure you know exactly how I feel."

"A-and how exactly do you feel, Yang?" Jaune asked, forcing himself to look at her in the eyes. "Because if you aren't very specific, I'm going to think you're leading me on just for kicks." He continued, his sapphire eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Well… Dad always said 'show don't tell, so I guess it's only fair I _show_ you." With that, she moved forward, placing a short, yet long enough to mean the world, kiss on the Arc's lips. Pulling back, she once more smiled a Cheshire smile and asked, "Specific enough for y-" She didn't have time to finish her sentence, as his arms found her head and pulled her forward into another, deeper kiss, one that lasted seconds, yet felt like an eternity.

Once they finally separated, both sported heavy flushes, yet their eyes burned with hunger. Their lips soon met once more, in a wild, raw lock, full of passion, only parting to breathe as their hands wandered, grasping at each other in ways they hadn't experienced before, and as they lay in the forests of Anima, lost in their passion, curiously, not a single creature of Grimm approached them.

The following morning, as Jaune Arc slowly returned from blissful sleep, the first thing he felt was his back against the hard trunk of a tree, as he remembered his daily training routine, pushing himself past all reason just to catch up to all his friends. Then, he felt a warm weight draped all over him, and as he opened his eyes, all he saw was gold. It was at this point that Jaune Arc realized that it had not been a dream, and after a small internal freak out, took in the situation. Unfortunately for him, the next time he opened his eyes, he was met with a new color; lilac.

"Mornin' Lady-killer, was it good for you too?" Asked Yang, turning around and putting her satisfied, smug grin on full display. Naturally, Jaune wanted to wipe that smirk off her face, and so he hatched an admittedly simple plan; he placed his lips on hers, as he'd done countless times the previous night.

"It was better than I ever imagined, I certainly ended my night with a Yang." He smiled after pulling back, enjoying for the first time a completely shocked Yang, as her mouth opened and closed, much like a fish, and a blush made its way into her face. The shock wore off quickly, and Yang burst out into the most radiant smile he had ever seen, so bright she might as well have been the sun. Moments later she burst into laughter, not the refined, demure laugh of a lady, but a full bellied, hearty laugh that Jaune would swear was the sweetest sound in the world.

"And so the student matches the master", Yang managed to say in between laughs, catching herself and once more dropping down to lie on top of Jaune. She closed her arms over him, as if signaling her ownership. "Jaune?"

"Yes, Yang?" Jaune answered back, starting to absentmindedly run his hands through her hair.

"Xiao long do you think the rest will take to find us here?" She piped up in a mirthful tone, again breaking into laughter. Jaune shot her a momentary glare, yet a grin started forming on his face.

"Well I don't know, but we're definitely gonna be on thin _Weiss_ ". He quipped back, eliciting a snort of laughter.

"Oh definitely, the tongue-lashing we're gonna get is going to be nothing to _Schnee_ ze at." She continued, catching onto Jaune's nefarious plan as she stifled a laugh.

"Truly, there's Nora way that we're gonna escape being _ren_ t apart by them." He managed to say, before collapsing again in fits of joyous, carefree laughter.

"Now, Jaune, Arc you sure you're done? Are you going to leave me yangin' here?" Yang retorted, amidst fits of giggling.

Jaune stopped his laughter for a few seconds, "Well, you really Rose to the occasion, but I'd Lie if I told you that I'm giving up.", was all he managed to say before once more falling prey to his own mirth.

Yang managed to reign herself in as well, barely hanging on. "Yes, but… Oh, and… well, if…" Suddenly, Yang's joy turned to immense, absolute dread. She had just lost a puno-a-puno against _Jaune_. She got up, then fell on her knees, arms extended towards the sky with a defeated cry of "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO", as Jaune Arc still laughed at her antics, and like that they remained until they both ran out of steam.

* * *

Yang Xiao Long was feeling quite impatient. It had merely been a day since they promised to meet here to train, and _her_ noodle was a no-show! She stood in the middle of the clearing, arms crossed, thinking of a myriad creative ways to make Jaune suffer during their training. Honestly, the nerve on that man was - _crack_ \- she started to turn towards the sound she heard, but this one was eclipsed by one much louder, one that made her understand that she completely deserved what was about to happen. _**"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG."**_

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¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
